Computer use meter and analyzer

• US 5,675,510 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PC Meter L.P.
• Inventors: Coffey, Steven R., Pinsley, David B., Poloniewicz, Karen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, CRAIG S
• Application Number:
  US08/474,082
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 364/222.2, 364/222.5, 364/222.81, 364/280, 364/280.6, 364/282.1, 364/918, 364/940.1, 364/550, 380/3, 380/4, 380/23, 380/25, 395/600
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The subject system measures and reports the use of a personal computer by a user through a log file. The log file includes entries corresponding to predetermined events and can report on the applications used and communication functions engaged in by the user. The log files from one or more computers may be assembled and analyzed in order to ascertain computer use habits for computer software, computer hardware and computer communications. The system may also be used to predict computer use trends and to represent computer use history.

Claims

1. A computer use monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of local computer use meters installed in user computer machines, each including a log of predetermined machine operation events stored in memory of said computer machines, wherein said log of predetermined machine operation events identify titles of open windows and reflects a log of titles of worldwide web pages;

a processing station installed in a computer machine which loads a log of predetermined machine operation events into computer memory;

a database management system installed in a computer machine configured to access, process and generate reports based on the machine operation events stored in said computer memory;

wherein said processing station is linked to said plurality of local computer use meters.

2. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said processing station is linked to said plurality of local computer use meters by an electronic communication channel.

3. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein said electronic communication channel is established based upon a predetermined criteria.

4. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined criteria is periodic.

5. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined criteria is based on the amount of memory occupied by said log.

6. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said processing station is linked to said plurality of local computer use meters by means for transferring a log from a user computer machine to a portable magnetic media and means for transferring said log from said portable magnetic media to processing station.

7. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined machine operation events include events corresponding to operating system call back messages.

8. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined machine operation events include events corresponding to an intercepted modem character string.

9. A computer use monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a dictionary file stored in computer memory associated with said processing station;

and

means for interpreting the logged machine operation events by reference to the dictionary file.

10. A computer use monitoring method comprising the steps of:

eavesdropping on operating system messages and indicating receipt of predetermined types of messages responsive to an operating system messaging module;

creating and storing an event log responsive to selected operating system messages;

transferring one or more event logs from one or more computer systems to a central system; and

analyzing the contents of said event logs, wherein said event logs identify titles of open windows and world wide web pages.

11. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems comprising the steps of:

generating a log of machine operation events in each of a plurality of user computer systems;

storing each of the events in said log in the local computer memory of said user computer systems;

transferring said stored events from said plurality of user computer systems to a processing station computer;

loading said event logs into memory associated with said processing station computer;

interpreting said event logs by reference to a dictionary stored in memory associated with said processing station computer; and

compiling and reporting said interpreted computer event logs according to specified criteria, wherein said logs identify titles of windows and world wide web pages and said dictionary correlates said titles to identifiable labels.

12. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 11, wherein said step of transferring is over an electronic communication channel.

13. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 12, wherein said step of transferring is initiated based upon a predetermined criteria.

14. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined criteria is periodic.

15. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined criteria is based on the amount of memory occupied by said log.

16. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 11, wherein the step of transferring comprises transferring a log from a user computer machine to a portable magnetic media and transferring said log from said portable magnetic media to said processing station computer.

17. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 11, wherein said machine operation events include predetermined events corresponding to operating system call back messages.

18. A method for determining the nature of computer use by a plurality of computer systems according to claim 11, wherein said machine operation events include events corresponding to an intercepted modem character string.